"I don't think she can win me over, after two years," an egoistic and evil voice sounded.
"Azure, although you are older than her, she defeated you before, every time."
"Hmph, I am almost an adult now, and she was roaming outside without training for so long," Azure argued. " Can she really be a match for us? NOT IN THE WORLD." After completing his words, Azure turned and left.
The three left behind looked at Azure's proud back and his hair, which presented the color of the sea, as he flew through the air, in awe as he turned the corner.
"How can he be this beautiful?" The voice that was speaking with fear before, now looking at Azure, was so mesmerized that she forgot the matter at hand.
"Coral, can you please tell us more about her?" a frustrated voice of a girl sounded, making Coral come back to her senses.
"O OH, yes, I mean, she returned, and we have to be careful, Finn and Mira."
"Mhm." Mira and Coral nodded their head. Not hearing Finn's reply, both looked at him. Finn was gazing in the direction Azure had turned, lost in deep thought.
"Finn, what happened? Did you see her there?" Coral asked in panic, watching Finn not say anything.
"Mira, Coral. I think I saw Azure smile." Finn ignored their words and said, scratching his head.
"Stop joking, Finn. Listen here first." Mira frustratingly said to him, and he looked at the corner again. Thinking of this as a mistake, looked away, and his eyes went to the other corner of the room.
He froze at the sight of the person he was most afraid of. An eerie silence spread across the hall. Finn, who was the first to see, wanted to tell others about it, but what he saw was Mira and Coral also looking at the corner with their eyes wide open.
"So!" Edel walked in their direction, eyeing their afraid look and shivering legs. Well, not all of them were shivering, but except for Mira, the other two were. "You all were talking about me, hmmm."
Edel stopped before them, and all three suddenly took a step back in fear.
"Don't be afraid, I am younger than you all," Edel spoke in a low voice. A voice that can make their legs jelly. "What can I do?" she changed her tone to a spoiled person.
They felt goosebumps all over their body. Looking at each other, they made sure to escape together. Just as they were about to touch their neck, a voice sounded.
"Edel, you are here," her grandfather entered the hall with two maids.
"Greetings, Grandfather!" all of them greeted him, and he nodded before looking away. The tension and pressure in the atmosphere finally dissipated, and they took a sigh of relief. Neptune also understood the situation and shook his head.
Neptune is the name of Edel's maternal grandfather. This name is a nod to the Roman god of the sea. He embodies strength, power, and majesty – as he rules over his underwater domain with authority. He walked up to Edel.
"Edel, these two will be your personal maids," his grandfather introduced the two maids behind him.
Edel looked at them carefully to determine the reason why her grandfather had chosen them for her. As if sensing her thoughts, her grandfather Neptune smiled.
"Dear, this is Mila, she is the best in-house for chores and any type of knowledge. Either Medicine or Magic." Neptune gestured at the one on the left with a fair face and orange braided hair. She was wearing a beige coloured gown.
Edel nodded, and Mila bowed to her. Looking at the other girl to Neptune's right, she was curious because the girl did not look like a girl at all. She had short black hair like men and tanned skin. She stood tall with her hands behind her. But the thing was that she was wearing a pair of pants and a long shirt with a breastplate.
"And this is Eva, she is well-trained in fights and knows everything about the war and all. Most importantly, she is my mentor's student." His introduction justified Eva's appearance and origin.
Eva looked at Edel and nodded with a respectful gaze. Edel was satisfied with Eva and nodded at her, too. She was in urgent need of a skilled trainer. Especially after experiencing the old man in the forest. She knew she was not weak at all, but in front of him, she was nothing. This thought made Edel anxious and depressed.
She had trained with all the trainers there and knew their abilities. They were not thirty percent skilled as the old man. So, she wanted to look for someone to train.
While Neptune was introducing, the three people who were ignored looked at Mila and Eva in horror. They were well aware of Mila and Eva, as they saw their skills and powers in person.
"Edel, you can go to your room now." Neptune smiled and patted her head. "I have made the maids clean and tidy your room."
Edel nodded at Neptune and turned to leave, when Mila and Eva followed her. She stopped, and the two also stopped. Edel looked at her grandfather, and he again smiled. From then on, she knew that Mila and Eva would be her lifelong mates until death. She also understood why her grandfather introduced them as maids.
She turned to leave, but not before giving a glance at the three ignored people.
"What are you all doing here? If I am not wrong, this should be the time of your practices, right?" Neptune finally looked at Coral, Mira, and Finn, questioning them.
All of them were looking at the backs
of three people leaving the hall in amazement, and were startled by the raised voice of Neptune. Thinking of how their grandfather's behaviour towards Edel was very gentle, compared to theirs. Make all of them disappointed and enraged. Seeing their grandfather, who is the most handsome being they have ever seen till now, made them conflicted about how this face can be strict like hell, almost unimaginable. But they could do nothing, so they just nodded and left.
Looking at their backs, Neptune sighed. The coming danger predicted by the Soothsayer was a thorn in his neck. He just wanted to get ready for it and make his heirs capable of facing the calamity. He was always known for his gentleness, but he had to be strict for their future and well-being.
When Edel reached the door of her room, nostalgia filled her heart. It is the same room where her mother used to live. When her grandfather first found her, she was only five years old. She often came to the palace in her childhood with her mother and lived in that particular room.
Just like this, after being rescued, she only slept in that room's bed, where her mother had slept before, thinking that this way she was with her mother's presence. When she didn't enter the room for a few minutes. Mila and Eva felt strange and called her out.
"Nothing, I was just thinking something," she brushed them off with a random excuse and entered the room.
A fresh scent of mermaid seaweed reached her nose, and she looked at the left side of the room, where her mother's own plant was living peacefully. This is the only plant that her mother liked, so she also kept it close to her heart and protected it.
"Mistress, your bath water is ready." Mila's innocent voice echoed in the room, and Edel nodded without looking at her. She knew it was time for her various classes. And Mila wanted her to be fresh before starting.
"You both are my elders, so just call me Edel." Her soft voice broke out, as she stopped in her tracks, and after saying, she walked into the bathroom.
After coming out of the bathroom, she changed into black pants and a grey long-sleeved shirt. Mila and Eva were waiting for her in the room to help her get ready. Walking out of the room, Mila and Eva were ahead of Edel.
When they reached the hall where Edel had studied, only Mila entered, and Eva stood outside the hall. Edel was surprised to see that there was no one except Edel.
" Am I going to learn alone?" she questioned as a matter of fact. Because she knew that if no one was there, it meant her grandfather wanted her to learn and practice alone.
"Yes," Mila replied without stopping or looking at Edel, and went to the center of the hall. " Now look into my eyes and try to control your mind from my hypnotism."
From Mila's speed and skill, she understood that she was facing the greatest mage of the decade, and how she was going to torture Edel in the future.
Edel looked outside the hall and saw that Eva was observing swords and knives brought by the soldier with magic. Facing the greatest mage and fighter, she felt her mage powers and fighting skills were just the tip of the iceberg.
Thinking about her upcoming hard and almost unbearable days, she sighed and gave up.